PHOTOS: Train derails in Spain

An express train derailed as it hurtled around a curve in northwestern Spain on July 24, 2013, killing at least 79 and injuring more than 170, officials say.

Among the fatalities are two U.S. citizens -- Ana-Maria Cordoba of Arlington, Va., and Myrta Fariza of Houston -- and some Europeans and Latin Americans.

At least five U.S. citizens were injured, said State Department deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf.

The train had 218 total passengers aboard and was nearing the end of a six-hour trip from Madrid to the town of Ferrol in northwest Spain when it derailed at 8:41 p.m., the railway said.

Investigations into the cause of the crash continue, but suggestions that the train was traveling too fast appear to be gaining weight.

The driver of the train, Francisco Jose Garzon, has been charged with 79 counts of homicide by professional recklessness and an undetermined number of counts of causing injury by professional recklessness.

Residents who lived near the tracks told the Voz de Galicia newspaper that they heard a thunderous bang when the train crashed. Many of them rushed to the area with blankets and bottled water for the injured, the newspaper reported.

Oscar Mateos told Spain's El Pais newspaper that he saw fellow passengers thrown to the floor, then tossed from one side of the train to the other.

CNN iReporter Chelsea Cabrera took this photo of the train crash.

CNN iReporter Chelsea Cabrera took this photo of the train crash.

Alberto Nunez Feijoo, head of the regional government in Galicia, declared seven days of mourning in the region for victims of the tragedy.

Spain's King Juan Carlos said the accident had saddened the country and the international community, and he sent a message to the victims and their families conveying "the deepest love and all the solidarity from the Royal Family, and from the whole nation."